Sha'dos
Sha'dos, meaning "Light's Triumph" in Draenei, is a longsword of divine appearance. Blessed by the prime naaru Xe'ra, the presence of the Holy Light within the weapon is potent. Those who draw near it are often able to sense the holy energies that course throughout it, which could prove comforting for priests, paladins and other common creatures, though potentially discomforting for undead, demons and other creatures of darkness. Found by the heroes of Azeroth during the fourth iteration of the Tournament of Ages, the origins of Sha'dos, upon its discovery, were a mystery. For several days, it was caught within the skull of a blue dragon at Sindragosa's Fall. No man or woman was capable of removing the sword until a draenei by the name of Danarshi had successfully managed to seize the weapon. Sha'dos was later unveiled as being a creation of the Army of the Light from the words of one of its members, Hol'nar, a lightforged draenei, upon Argus. To this day, the sword has remained within the possession of Danarshi, who has primarily used it to fight the forces of darkness throughout the cosmos, as the weapon's creators had intended of it. Description Sha'dos is of an elegant design, crafted entirely of Argussian materials. Its pommel, hilt and guard are practically indistinguishable from Azerothian gold; the primary difference of this metal is its sheer sturdiness, proving itself as significantly more durable. The blade, however, resembles steel, though lined with an otherworldly glitter that is distinct when exposed to light. It is significantly sharper than average Azerothian steel, able to cut through the limbs of most opponents with ease, save for larger creatures or individuals. Amidst the forging of Sha'dos, the sword was heavily imbued with the Light by the hand of the prime naaru Xe'ra. As a result of this, any who are capable of handling holy magics will find minimal difficulty in empowering the blade's strikes, regardless of whether or not the wielder is trained in the arts of a paladin. This increases the potential sharpness of the sword exponentially, allowing it to slice through flesh, tissue and bone alike with little to no physical endeavour. The holy potency of the sword presents a particular side effect: individuals who are susceptible to the Light will suffer from severe agony when attempting to handle the weapon, such as demons and undead. This, however, allows the wielder an advantage over these particular opponents, able to swiftly defeat even some of the most seasoned of death knights, though this clearly depends on the martial experience of Sha'dos' owner as well. Aside from furthering Sha'dos' effectiveness as a weapon, Xe'ra warded the sword with a spell that afflicted it with a supernatural weight, rendering it as seemingly impossible to lift via mortal hands. Only those who carried the will and motives that matched the desires of the prime naaru would find themselves able to wield the sword. Initially, this included: an affinity for the Light, veneration for the naaru, the courage and resolve to march upon the gates of Antorus, the Burning Throne in order to assist in putting an end to the Burning Legion, an understanding of the Void and why it cannot be allowed to consume the universe, among other potential prerequisites. Set upon Sha'dos by one of the sword's creators was also a series of curses that had acted as a supplementary means of defending the weapon from those who were deemed as unworthy of wielding it by Xe'ra's wards. Those who failed to claim the sword were afflicted with one out of twenty-six known curses. They were relatively harmless upon the victim, most frequently having shifted one's emotions, consciousness or similarly innocuous effects. They would wear away after twenty-four hours had passed or could be directly cured by the various guilds who were present throughout the Argent Tournament Grounds via means which differed between each guild. When Sha'dos was removed from the dragon skull in which it was trapped, it ceased cursing those who come into contact with it. Several theories exist for the wards that lay upon Sha'dos, including the idea that its handling requirements may shift in response to events which have transpired, though this is not yet known for certain. Another hypothesis suggests that Sha'dos may share certain traits with the Ashbringer, especially the likelihood that one may be capable of corrupting the sword and overwriting its warding spell whilst removing the Light contained within it, allowing the weapon to instead be consumed by dark magics and wielded by any individual; this is also currently a mystery, and will likely remain as such for as long as it rests within the possession of Danarshi. A gleaming labradorite is present within the centre of the sword's guard. The shimmering cabochon branches up and into the lower area of the sword's blade, filling carved ridges with cerulean crystal and light alike. The everlasting glow of the gem was the outcome of an enchanting spell that was laid upon it by one of the weapon's contributing creators. History The Arrival Witnessed by members of the Argent Crusade, Silver Covenant and Sunreavers roughly a week before the fourth opening of the Tournament of Ages, the skies overshadowing the harrowing lands of Icecrown were bathed in a spectacle that is unlike any seen before within the frozen tundra: a display of Holy Light, dancing across the edges of the ether, shining throughout the clouds below, showering terra firma in rays of incandescence, banishing the glacial chill of the air and allowing the land’s living dwellers a welcome respite. Moments passed and the astonished spectators refused to remove their eyes from the shining light for even a moment; within such a darkened place, it was a scene in which filled the bystanders with endless feelings of positivity – happiness, gaiety, bravery and comfort, among countless other emotions. Soon, a clearing of several dozen metres was carved into the cloud cover above Sindragosa’s Fall, allowing passage to an object of blinding light, that of which seemed to fall from the heavens themselves; it was small, yet shone with the brightness of a thousand stars. Miraculously, seconds following the appearance of the object, the spirit of a blue dragon was noted to have materialised alongside it, gliding around its form, almost as though it was guiding it, protecting it. The soul, vast in size, was, too, infused with holy energy as it approached the Light-ridden article, ultimately having added to the grandeur of the scene. As the mysterious entity plummeted ever nearer towards the icy wastes below, accompanied by the dragon spectre, many a man and woman were struck with a peculiar feeling of familiarity – the luminous object was strikingly reminiscent of Light’s Heart, the core of the prime naaru Xe’ra, which had descended from the Great Dark Beyond, crashing into the oceans merely south of Suramar, only months prior of the incident within Icecrown. Whether or not this was a mere coincidence was, at this time, unknown. Bewilderment A minute passed when, at last, the seraphic entity impaled into the surface of Sindragosa’s Fall, south of the Argent Tournament Grounds. Eerily, as it struck against the ice ridden floor, all light in which had originated from it had almost instantaneously vanished, as though it had never existed; even the dragon itself was nowhere to be found. Silver Convenant and Sunreaver scouts were the first to appear at the area of impact, eager to discover what “gift” had been bestowed upon them from the heavens above – that is when they saw it: a sword, caught within not only the ice, though that of a dragon’s skull, as well. The sword was of a refined appearance, its pommel, hilt and guard each crafted of an otherworldly, golden material of metallic nature, the latter having been complimented by a gleaming, sky blue, crystalline orb, whilst the blade itself was forged of a powerful, unrecognised steel, that of which had successfully endured the fall from the skies above, not a scratch nor dent noticeable upon its surface. It was obvious to few that the sword bared a grand, magical aura, though the nature of such magic was, to all, a mystery, shrouded by forces that were further unknown. Above all, its supposed link to dragons was pondered upon, though merely posed more questions than answers. The mysteriousness of the sword had only continued to grow at the seams, as not a single man nor woman, regardless of strength, could hope to remove the weapon from its place within the dragon skull; it would simply not budge. Many a magician of varying cultures had attempted to unveil the secrets of the sword, effortlessly searching for a means of removing it from its place, though to no avail; not even the finest of elven magics could move the weapon. From the tireless studies of numerous individuals of varying professions, and from those who had failed to remove the blade, a single truth was revealed: all who had tugged at the sword, magically or otherwise, were actively cursed, inflicting ailments upon them that ranged from comical to worrisome; intriguingly, the curses were found to be lifted by cures of varying degrees, from a glass of milk to a kiss from a certain individual. Ultimately, Argent priests possessed the clairvoyance to realise a single fact - that the sword was awaiting its rightful wielder to come and claim it. The Tournament of Ages As the Tournament of Ages commenced, hundreds of individuals queued in line to try their hand at removing the blade from its place. None prevailed, each receiving a curse, until, alas, a draenei anchorite by the name of Danarshi, found himself situated before the weapon. Although the man had failed upon his first attempt, in which he pulled at the hilt of the sword without a spoken word, he, on his second effort, spoke the words “Naaru, please, favour this outcome.”, in which, with his hands wrapped about the hilt, miraculously seized the weapon from the dragon’s skull with unanticipated ease. Danarshi held the length of the freed sword to the heavens above and imbued it with the energies of the Holy Light whilst swearing that, in the name of the naaru, it would act as an instrument of the Burning Legion’s downfall; it was at this moment that, by the will of Danarshi himself, the weapon was formally granted the name of Sha’dos, meaning “Light’s Triumph” in Draenei - a fitting name - in more ways than one. Although an anchorite by title, Danarshi had, since long, bared the knowledge of a seasoned harbinger, tutored by his father eons ago within his homeland upon Argus. Whilst he served his people and allies as a renowned priest, he actively maintained his warrior abilities throughout the course of the draenei exodus across the Great Dark Beyond. Although a mere shadow of who he was upon Argus, Danarshi, carrying thousands of years of experience, remained a formidable opponent to any who dared face him. Sha’dos would, without doubt, prove as being an invaluable asset to him. All who attended the Tournament of Ages, including Danarshi himself, were equally perplexed over his victory in seizing the sword, unknowing as to what variable could have triggered such a miracle. Led by the watchers of the weapon, Ignacia Honorem and Erilihn Autumnsong, the triumphant draenei strode about the Argent Tournament Grounds, where he was showered in praise by numerous attendees of the Tournament. Following a series of words and gestures of goodwill, the kind Erilihn and Ignacia had soon departed from Danarshi’s company; the future of Sha’dos now rested within his hands. The Duel Whilst Danarshi was met with unwavering praise upon the Argent Tournament Grounds themselves, not all were quite so approving of his success – many had devised a plan of their own for the fate of the sword. Fortunately for Danarshi, none harboured the courage to truly face him in an attempt to lay claimant of Sha’dos, except for one: a death knight of unknown identity and affiliation, he who was clad, from head to toe, in plate armour of blazing brilliance, a colossal sword of fire and death grasped within the palm of his hand. Danarshi, whilst sharpening the blade of his prize upon a grindstone to the south-east of the Argent Tournament Grounds, was approached by the death knight, who demanded that Sha’dos be bestowed upon himself. Danarshi, having arisen from his place, accepted the challenge of the death knight, unwilling to discard the sword with such ease. The two clashed together with steel and magic in a battle of epic proportions, that of which claimed the hand of the death knight though left Danarshi beaten and broken. Fortunately for the old harbinger, his opponent had fled the scene, though not before declaring that his business with the draenei was not yet finished. Into the Horizon For the weeks following the conclusion of the Tournament of Ages, Danarshi spread fear of the name Sha'dos throughout the ranks of the Burning Legion's invasion force upon Azeroth. Since the very moment that the rift between Azeroth and Argus was opened, Danarshi knew that it was inevitable that his blade would, soon, spill demonic blood upon the surface of his ancient homeworld, as well. In short time, the call for the forces of Azeroth to pierce into the heart of the Burning Legion was sounded, and many, including Danarshi, answered, venturing to the fel-scarred world aboard the Vindicaar. Discovery Across many a day following their arrival upon Argus, the heroes of Azeroth fought their way through the armies of the Burning Legion which were stationed there. Danarshi was of no exception, having executed dozens of demons with Sha'dos alone. Despite the anchorite's initial successes following his return to his homeworld of old, still, the origins of Sha'dos remained a mystery to him, until, alas, he was approached by an emissary of the Army of the Light upon the war-torn fields of Krokuun; they were a male lightforged draenei. The emissary greeted Danarshi in a diplomatic manner, immediately having introduced himself as Hol'nar. Deep within the voice of the lightforged male, the anchorite could depict a measure of esteem, as though the man held a high recognition of him. As the emissary revealed his purpose, Danarshi now knew the meaning behind their meeting: Sha'dos. With claims that he was aware of the origins of the weapon, Hol'nar kindly requested that Danarshi follow him to the nearest safe point that was situated within the Shattered Fields, the anchorite having dared not refuse, anxious to discover more of his mysterious sword. Within the safety of an established Army of the Light encampment, that of which rested beside the recently crashed dimensional ship, the Xenedar, Hol'nar described the origins of Sha'dos to Danarshi. It was revealed that Sha'dos was, in fact, a weapon that was forged by the hands of many masterful artisans within the Army of the Light, including a blacksmith, a lapidarist and an enchanter, aboard the Xenedar, many months before its crash-landing. The blade and hilt of the sword were each crafted exclusively of ancient Argussian materials that are no longer of known existence, as the planet's fel corruption has long since warped the vast majority of its natural elements, rendering them as extraordinarily rare. The materials were taken by the initial eredar who fled Argus and then stored away aboard the Genedar. They were transferred to the Xenedar during the separation of the conjoined dimensional ships and had remained hidden within it across millennia for a special purpose that was, throughout that time, unknown. The gleaming gem that is held firmly within the cross guard of Sha'dos and courses down into the blade itself was revealed to be labradorite, masterfully cut to fit the open ridges within the sword and then enchanted in order to retain an everlasting glow. Following its completion, Sha'dos was imbued with the energies of the Holy Light by the prime naaru herself, Xe'ra, who, although was significantly weakened at this time, was still able to increase the potency of the weapon's strikes, especially against demonic or undead foes. The purpose of the sword was to serve the motives of the Army of the Light within the hands of one who would actively uphold them via their own, personal interests. With their focus set upon the third invasion of Azeroth, word of the Tournament of Ages reached the Army of the Light. Being an event with countless heroes in attendance, there was no further a fitting place than the Tournament for Sha'dos to be sent in search of a rightful wielder. Only south of the tournament grounds was where the haunted place known as Sindragosa's Fall laid, where various blue dragons had fallen to death in years past, their corpses frozen beneath thick layers of ice. So, too, did their spirits linger. After much study, the Army of the Light discovered this and realised that the blue dragonflight were inherent creatures of magic. When a magical artifact was found, they were known to do all that they could to ensure that it remained out of the wrong hands - the Army of the Light would capitalise upon this. Sha'dos was sent flying through the Great Dark Beyond at an unimaginable velocity, with Sindragosa's Fall as its precise target. For weeks, the weapon persisted in its flight across the cosmos, slowing only once it neared Azeroth - so came the moment that the sword pierced the skies of Icecrown with light and plummeted into the skull of a blue dragon, guided by its very soul. Although the dragon's identity was much a mystery, some had speculated it to have been one by the name of Lanvyngos, a protector of the Nexus during the distant past, though no man or woman could confirm such a myth. Deeply impaled within its own skull, the dragon spirit ensured that only an individual who held the sword's true purpose within their heart and mind would be able to lay claimant to it; one who wished for the downfall of the Burning Legion above all else, and stood in defiance against the forces of darkness, namely the Void. Ultimately, one who had proven themselves to uphold the Light, primarily through supporting the naaru and their motives, would be deemed as worthy. The curses that were cast upon those who failed was at the fault of the sword's enchanter, who wished to dissuade the unworthy. With luck, Danarshi was among the first of such qualities to approach Sha'dos, his prayer to the naaru having confirmed to the dragon spirit that he was the chosen who would inevitably venture to Argus in order to aid in the downfall of the Burning Legion. His feat of surviving thirty-seven thousand years had certainly factored into this fate, as well. It was revealed, as well, that Sha'dos, as a name, was, in fact, invented by those who worked to forge the weapon. When Danarshi seized the sword, a fragment of Xe'ra's blessing had forced the draenic words into his mind, hence the anchorite's "creation" of the name. As Danarshi had shattered the magic that bound Sha'dos within the dragon's skull upon removing it, any living soul within existence was now capable of wielding the sword like any other weapon. It was up to Danarshi, now, to ensure that Sha'dos would remain within his hands until the naaru saw otherwise. In respect of his will, Hol'nar offered Danarshi a place within the ranks of the Army of the Light, in which the anchorite proudly accepted. As a lasting note, he was told that, if Xe'ra had not fallen victim to Illidan Stormrage, she may have considered lightforging him. In consequence of her death, however, this would not come to pass. The Siege of Antorus When, at last, the time had arisen to lay siege upon Antorus, the Burning Throne, where many of the Burning Legion's remaining commanders dwelled, Danarshi was among the hundreds who answered the call to arms. With Sha'dos held firmly within the palm of his right hand, the anchorite smote the defending demons alongside countless other heroes across the span of a four-day campaign. With his allies at his side, Danarshi wrought vengeance upon the armies of the Legion throughout the Antoran Wastes. On the third day of the campaign, once Antorus' defences were breached, the heroes of Azeroth poured into the Burning Throne and wreaked havoc upon the innumerable demons within. Although Danarshi was not among the order hall leaders, they of whom dispatched the highest-ranking commanders of the Legion, he, with Sha'dos in hand, had still downed numerous demons, from the puniest of imps to the most monstrous of man'ari; with the support of many others, he had even partaken in the destruction of one of the most colossal fel reavers within the Burning Legion's arsenal, along with the killing of lesser commanders, many of who rallied the demons directly upon the field, their deaths having thrown them into utter disarray. Antorus had fallen, and the Burning Legion was soon to follow in its steps. Destiny The day following the fall of the Burning Throne, Danarshi, and a contingent of heroes, led by Zaria Blackmoore, repelled a futile attempt of retaliation against the forces of Azeroth and the Army of the Light, that of which was orchestrated by a desperate group of demons, they of whom were led by a manipulative nathrezim. The demons' attack had failed, though not without cost to the Azerothians, as a call for retreat was sounded. With haste, Danarshi and his allies fled to the Vindicaar and returned to Azeroth. Due to the success of the order halls' leaders, Sargeras was imprisoned at the Seat of the Pantheon, and the rift between Argus and Azeroth was sealed shut. With the Burning Legion now defeated, and his homeworld closed off from him once more, Danarshi was left in contemplation of his future, one without the threat of the Legion. With Sha'dos remaining in his possession, one is left to wonder what journeys the anchorite is yet to embark upon with it in hand, and what foes the esteemed sword is yet to meet. Trivia * Sha'dos' appearance is based directly off of El'druin, the personal sword of archangel Tyrael in the Diablo video game series. * Danarshi, who won both an in-character version of the sword, and an out of character replica of it, did so via succeeding on a dice roll of five hundred out of five hundred, meaning that the chance of winning the sword was incredibly low, placing it at around 0.2 out of 100, in terms of percentage. Gallery El'druin.png|The cosplay replica of El'druin, Sword of Justice, the sword of which Sha'dos is based. This is the exact piece that was available to win during the Tournament of Ages 2017. Danarshi Claims the Sword.jpg|An in-game picture of Danarshi when he claimed the sword from the skull, including the dice roll and emote. Category:Items Category:Weapons Category:Swords Category:Longswords Category:Tournament of Ages